Ear rubs and nightmares
by Morbid1Curiosity
Summary: Blake couldn't sleep, as she wandered through the empty halls of the haven academy. While annoyed she tried to reflect on her life and all the people she met and reunited with, yet her night walk would be brought to an end as she heard a very strange sound.


**Author's Note: I'm not dead, although most people that follow me, do that for whiterose or even monochrome stuff so I'm not sure why I'm saying it here… WELP.**

 **Enjoy some ladybug!**

Blake was restless. All the stress with going back home, the entire white fang conspiracy, her family assassination, training and preparation for interracial conflict, it became the norm for her at some point. Worries, her own thoughts and doubts, her hopes and wishes for everything to work out, it was all there whenever she tried to sleep and in a way? In a way, she got used to it, in a way it was enough to exhaust her mind and made her fall asleep. Now? Now she was restless. After all the stress and physical activity of today, she hoped that it would be enough to make her fall asleep, that she'd fall asleep before even hitting the bed properly. But no, that was all wishful thinking.

She was restless. So she started wandering the haven academy, or rather what was assigned as… Their sleeping place. Theirs, since she reunited with her old teammates. Since she was indulged into the bigger picture of this entire conflict, for her own race to be but a puppet in hands of some villain that made them dance as she played. In a way that made her angry, furious… But it also made her happy that she stumbled upon her friends. Her old friends. They brought forth the knowledge of this and with that, she finally understood what the main goal was…

...A goal that would not be achieved anytime soon. For now, it was time to catch a breather, to calm down, relax, plan and all those things. It made her feel so restless. Not because it was something default for her, as if she wished for a constant dosage of adrenaline and action, but she got used to it and now she struggled to do something as basic as even sleep, all because she couldn't worry enough. How stupid was that?

Her first steps were to find Ilia, hoping that the girl would share her newly acquired insomnia, especially since she was more used to be awake at night. To her disappointment, she found the girl sleeping and while making sure she wasn't faking it, she decided to let her rest. If anything the chameleon girl deserved rest the most of all of them. The second was Sun, but the blonde boy was snoring so loud that she didn't even have to check on him to see if he was awake… She just had to hear it.

It was at this point that she started to wonder why she was even hoping for any company, when did she start craving to **not** be alone? It was Sun, wasn't it? He made her feel that way. That she wasn't alone, that she didn't have to be alone. That she couldn't be alone. While it had its perks, it also came with things that annoyed her. Like right now, where she felt so lonely wandering around like a ghost.

She stifled a giggle at that phrase. She always knew how to move without making a sound, to muffle her own footstep. She once did that back in Beacon only to receive a comment from Weiss on how unsettling that was and one from Ruby about how cool that was. The two later starting to fight over the terminology, between it being creepy like a ghost or cool like a ninja. It wasn't hard to distinguish which one of them stood on which side. A sad smile blossomed on her lips as she looked back behind herself, not like she hoped to see anything, but it was a gesture towards the place she visited just before coming here. Will Ilia and Sun find a way to become friends just like Ruby and Weiss did? She hoped so. They were both dear to her and she'd hate to pick favorites or to make things awkward for all of them.

Friends… Is there a limit to them? Of course not but… But it seemed like she some and… Did she lose some? They all hugged, they reunited but she still wasn't sure. She didn't care how much people reassured her about it, she still thought that she'd fall off from the rest. It wasn't because she wanted to, she just had her own life to settle which turned out to be this weird interracial conflict and… And now they share a common goal, a common enemy. This made her smile as if she needed this line of thought to remind herself of this, that even if the fire of their friendship was gone, it could be rekindled. Although deep down she still wanted to believe that nothing changed between them.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound, an unfamiliar sound which put her on edge and she instinctively reached for her weapon, freezing in spots to try and locate the source of the sound and try to identify it. Her ears twitched as she closed her eyes if it was someone trying to attack her they wouldn't make such subtle sounds in order to just show themselves so she had to trust her other senses. There it came again… And again and again, it had a rhythm to it, although it changed every now and then, establishing a new one, pausing for a few seconds and renewing the whole process a new. It came from one of the rooms, this much she understood, but… But it didn't make sense.

She counted the rooms, as she memorized who was in which room for the sake of efficiency and to not make a fool of herself in case she needed to find someone specific. She counted it again, thinking that she made a mistake or maybe she remembered it wrong? No, it couldn't be. Her own room was at the start of the corridor and she knew Weiss was next to her. Yang's door had this one tiny scratch she remembered, which meant that the sound came from Ruby's room… But it made no sense, the sound was… Was Crying. Was someone in there with her? Maybe the redhead was comforting someone, that was the first thought she had which almost made her leave, not wanting to disturb her and whoever might be inside… But then again it sounded like Ruby, it had to be the girl.

Did it change anything? She should just leave, right? What was there for her to do, to butt into her room, a place where she should be left alone… If she'll feel like talking about it, she'll most likely do it. With Weiss or Jaune or whoever it is she confined to these days. But at that thought her chest felt tighter. Friendship works both ways, right? They were for her as much as she should be there for them and if anything she had a bit of a friendship loan she should be paying off to all of them, Ruby especially… She took on the role of the leader so much into her heart, only for one of the teammates to abandon them. She felt her throat grow tight as she forced herself to swallow.

She gently knocked on the door. "Ruby?" She called out softly which made the girl on the other side of the door gasp in surprise. Blake didn't wait for an invitation as she slowly opened the door only to find the girl sitting straight up with a… Book? No a comic covering her face. A very awkward way of holding it if she really did read it… And upside down. "Ruby, is everything alright?" She asked, perhaps entering without waiting for the other girl's permission was a bit rude but… What's done is done.

"B-Blake, how… How surprising to see you at this hour, did you want something?" A very shaky and nervous tone of voice combined with a mechanical way of speaking, Blake was now sure that the other girl was in some sort of distress and she wanted to hide it. Which was a bit unsettling, this was Ruby, she rarely got upset, not like this at least. Or maybe that was one of those things that changed over the time.

"That's a very strange way of speaking, Ruby, especially for you. Did Weiss rub off on you so much?" She smiled, although more to herself, while the girl was holding the comic in front of her face there was an additional factor she forgot to include… It was pitch black, which wasn't an issue for her but Ruby was still a human. "Also doing some late time reading?" She started to approach the girl in the bed, once more her steps becoming soundless

"Yep!"

"In the dark?" A bit closer.

"I...uh… It's my new power! Silver eyes and stuff, lets me see in the dark."

"But you're holding it upside down." Almost there.

"I-It's how you read it! You know, sometimes you read it from left to right, sometimes from right to left, and this you read upside down."

"Ruby." She finally approached the girl and carefully sat down on the bed that she used, not wanting to accidentally sit on the girl's leg or something that might have belonged to her that was still entangled in the bed sheets. Once that done she moved her hand to lower the girl's shield that she used to hide. The redhead didn't oppose to that, as she just placed the comic on the covers of her bed. Once her face was fully visible she could see the girl's red eyes from crying and the tear streaks that covered her face. It was heartbreaking to see Ruby like this. "You should have said that you were reading something very sad, that be more convincing." She smiled, while she was curious why the girl cried it became her priority to see her bright smile first.

It did have an effect as Ruby chuckled and a small smile did linger on her lips. "You're right, that would be a more convincing lie."

"I thought you shouldn't lie to a friend?" Blake smiled in return.

"Well, it would be a white lie you know specifically because we're friends. I wouldn't want to worry you or the others about it." Ruby smile grew a bit only to suddenly disappear completely off her lips. "Besides, friends don't abandon each other."

Her words weren't shocking as if a wrecking ball hit her, it wasn't this sudden heavy feeling that punched her or grabbed her… No, it was like a cold arrow piercing through her heart, in which she required a moment to fully comprehend that something even happened, that it was bad… And how much it hurt.

"N-No, Blake I'm sorry I didn't mean to, it's just that… It's late and I wasn't thinking and..." The girl started to excuse herself, becoming more panicked with each word she said.

Blake just smiled, finishing her last sentence for her. "And you didn't filter what's on your mind? I understand I deserve it so don't worry." Her own smile soon disappeared as well and now they both sat in an awkward silence. Was this a sign that she should leave? That she wasn't welcomed to try and help Ruby? … That she wasn't her friend? Once more she felt the pressure inside her chest as if someone just tried to park a truck on top of it, till Ruby's quiet voice distracted her enough to forget about it… Or perhaps it wasn't as much distraction as it was just hearing the content of the other girl's words that made the feeling go away.

"I had a bad dream." It was so simple, so basic… Yet the girl made it sound as if it was a true issue, a burden hard to overcome, something that could indeed pressure her enough and make her cry. It was so innocent that it took her by surprise as if she didn't expect the issue to be… To be this.

"Oh..." Was Blake's only response as she glanced at the redhead, seeing her smile once more, even if it was but a tiny glimpse of the bright smile the girl could offer on an everyday basis. "What was it about?"

"Do you remember Penny and Pyrrha?" Blake had to fight off a desire to grimace, how could she forget, at least the second girl, while she didn't interact with Penny that much she even remembered her, yet she decided that it wasn't important, after all, Ruby simply wanted to make sure if they both were on the same page.

"Yes." She offered a simple answer, she wanted to nod her head but she wasn't sure if the girl could see it in the darkness.

"Ever since the academy was destroyed I had these dreams, sometimes it's just Penny, sometimes it's just Pyrrha and sometimes it's both. At first, I was sad because of them, but soon I got used to them, they even motivated me to start this entire journey, more and more I wanted to do it, you know. It's how I ended up here." Ruby smiled and made a short pause a soft sigh escaping her lips. "But the more we traveled the more… Awful things I saw and heard. The more it happened, the bigger burden it became. Ruins, stories of dead people, my own family and friends almost dying… I think I could endure that if it was just that, but it all piled up and then got joined by the dreams… And then all of this happened and I just… I sometimes can't keep it together anymore."

"Keep it together?" While Blake understood what Ruby meant… She didn't understand the context of it. Or maybe she did? There was just something confusing in that sentence alone.

"Y-Yeah, you know. I was supposed to be the leader you know, I was picked by Ozpin to be that role so I wanted to live into it. I was supposed to keep my composure whenever things got rough, to have a positive outlook and inspire." Ruby giggled and considering the previous tone of both their conversation and the reason that Blake even invaded her room in the first place, the girl's laughter sounded so melodic and pleasant to the ears. "And you know, at first it was easy, once I finally got you girls to trust me and we became friends and everything I didn't need to worry about being alone, so all that social anxiety poofed I could focus on being the best leader ever!" It was Blake's turn to let out a chuckle, she couldn't help it. It wasn't that she was mocking the girl, but just the pure energy behind her voice as she said all these words filled her with that positive feeling she spoke of.

"But then it… It got harder. Harder and harder, it was more and more difficult to smile in the face of danger, when you saw your family and friends almost dying, memories of destruction and misery… When I faced death myself it wasn't that big of a problem, I always thought that there would be a way to get out of any situation. Then I saw all the evidence of situations in which people couldn't find a way out and I started thinking if they also had the same idea I had, that there had to be a way, that they wouldn't die, that their home wouldn't get destroyed… That the bad guys wouldn't win today."

"Ruby..." Blake began but was shortly cut off by the redhead.

"I know Blake, I know… I don't need to be pressured, I'm not alone and all that. I… I'm not stupid, I know that. Just those dreams, they make me remember all that, all of what happened and then I start worrying over the people I have now and… And what if something would happen to them and sometimes I just… When I wake up? I just have to cry." Ruby hugged herself at that, looking away.

She just stared at the younger girl, what was there to say? She understood and she just needed an outlet to let out her own emotions. It was almost sad how this younger girl was so mature about her own feelings and emotions that she could compose herself and just… Live with herself like this, to know her own weakness and adapt to it, let it go from time to time. Compared to Ruby she was a wreck.

Still, there was something off about her, perhaps just talking about it didn't cleanse her mind off of worry or sad thoughts entirely? Blake remembered her own reason for being here, her restlessness and the distraction she was looking for. "Ruby? Do you miss your dog?"

That sudden shift of topic made the redhead blink a few times before all the puzzle pieces settled inside her head, it was amusing to experience it herself, how she went from confusion to understanding what was asked of her, all laid on her face. So honest. "You mean Zwei? I do miss him a lot." There was a sad sigh, which made Blake regret asking for it if only for a moment, but she had a plan, and you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. "I sometimes think how nice it would be if he was here, but then I remember that it's dangerous and it's better for him to be safe at home."

"Mm, here," Blake said as she suddenly laid her head on top of Ruby's lap.

"Eh?!" She had to keep herself from looking up at the other girl, to see the surprised and maybe flustered face that she might have, how amusing would that be. It's not that she teased her on purpose, but it still would be a neat little treat to see it. "B-Blake what are you doing?"

"Those are cat ears, but I thought that you wouldn't mind the difference that much." She then rolled onto her back and opened her eyes to glance up at the younger girl. "Or are you that much of a dog person that my ears disgust you?" It was a little mean it went without saying but… But it was all in good spirit and she couldn't handle knowing that Ruby was feeling down after whatever dream she had. Perhaps she was bad at talking with people, but she at least could cheer her up by putting her into this weird situation. To distract her

"T-That's not it, Blake! You're a person, not an animal. Isn't it what the whole deal with your kind is? You don't want to be treated this way and I completely agree with that. Faunus are not animals and should be treated with the same… Um… The same stuff that humans are." There was perhaps the firmest nod Blake ever experience someone does, as Ruby ended her very intellectual statement. But she wasn't done with the girl, not yet.

"So you never were curious how it would feel to pet my ears?" If the girl was embarrassed before, she was almost glowing in the dark by how red her face became, to the point that Blake could hear the faint sound of her heartbeat from the position she was at. Or was it her own?

"N-No! Of course not… Well, maybe a little bit b-but only at the start of our relationship! I mean friendship! Our friendship, that's also a relationship! And only after I discovered, I mean we discovered that you were a Faunus, but it took me some time since you ran away and then stuff happened and I'm rambling again ehehe I'll stop now." Ruby looked to the side as she went quiet.

It was time for the last part of this entire thing before she would release the girl from the tormenting grasp of her playfulness. "So you can try it out now." She offered, perhaps the tone of voice she had wasn't the most fitting, but she had to keep it low and it often did default to a more husky tone whenever she did that.

Ruby remained quiet, which was part of the plan. The plan that would end with her refusing and getting embarrassed. The plan that continued with Blake moving away and asking the girl if she was feeling better. Plan in which Ruby would answer, be it in honesty or not, that she was feeling better. The plan that ended with her leaving the room, heading to her own bed and falling a sleep. The plan that got ruined with a single word from the redhead.

"A-Alright."

Blake's body tensed as she had to fight off the desire to gasp in surprise. But she couldn't refuse now, right? It would be bad if she teased the girl and once Ruby found the courage to accept, she'd just back off herself. After all, she didn't want this, this was not part of the plan… Right?

"Feel free then, don't worry I'll tell you if it hurts. I trust you, Ruby." She sent her one more glance and a smile that the younger one couldn't even notice, before laying a bit more comfortably on the bed with her head on Ruby's lap so that she could have access to both of her ears. Perhaps it was just karma, right? She got this for teasing the poor girl.

Soon she felt her fingers, they feel so… Small. Not tiny, just smaller than what she expected, perhaps she never really was in any intimate situation with Ruby up till this point and all her expectations were based on what she saw from a distance. Loud, energetic and with a big scythe. Who wouldn't be expecting bigger fingers?

Ruby was being gentle, overly so but that was to be expected. She first wanted to make sure she found both of her ears and with just her touch, make sure how big they really were among all her hair. After that she explored the ears themselves, Blake could feel the palms slowly caressing the outline of them, making them involuntary twitch whenever she located a bit more sensitive spot. It didn't feel bad, it wasn't a mystery, at least among Faunus, that their additional parts often weren't as nerved as their… Human parts, for lack of a better term. Still, it made her feel nice, every now and then she felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt the girl's fingers explore more and more.

At some point, there was a pause where Ruby retracted her hands, which made Blake think that the girl was done. Yet once again, as she was about to move her head away she felt the girl's fingers again, this time they weren't merely scouting out. This time Ruby knew what to do. The younger girl kneaded her ears gently between her fingers, scratching it softly in each spot that she had to memorize. Each spot that previously made her ears twitch.

Blake couldn't believe that it could feel this good… Well, not like it felt amazing, just often people didn't pay that much attention to her ears to really learn any sort of patterns or spots. After all, how can her small cat ears have any sensitive spots, correct? Apparently, they can, as she learned just now. She had to bit her lower lip to not make a specific sound she hated making. Yet the sound that everyone apparently loved when she did and always tried to make her do it.

"Does it feel good? Should I stop?" Came a question in a soft voice, which further made it that much harder to focus. The answer, she needed to answer the question. But how? It did feel good, but would answer that she didn't want her to stop being good? Would it imply something? Or would it be just that, the fact it felt good and she wanted to feel it for a bit longer? "Blake?"

"Y-You're good at it, Ruby. Zwei must be one happy dog." She decided to buy herself sometime, as she hid her praise inside a simple joke. That had the effect she expected, as Ruby giggled.

"Well, I like to spoil him every now and then, but he deserves it. Zwei is the best after all." At that Ruby moved her fingers away and Blake was but inches from letting out a disappointed whine as her ears once more felt the cold air of the room and not the warm and soft fingers of her friend.

Was it weird that she felt jealous over a dog? That question blossomed inside Blake's head as she moved it up from Ruby's lap. She rested herself against her arm as she glanced at her face, this time she saw what she wanted to see from the beginning. Bright smile without any lurking shadows. Only now could she truly compare the girl's face to how she remembered it. It looked so different than before. "You matured, Ruby."

"Eh?! B-Blake, you're one year older, stop acting like some sort of stereotypical aunt." There it was once more, a blush.

The Faunus chuckled at her reaction, it was nice to know that while appearance might have changed, it was still Ruby. "I mean it. You're much more… Sharper? I can't really say. There's something more mature about you, that's for sure." Even before she herself noticed, her hand was reaching to gently coupe the girl's cheek and to her surprise this time the younger girl didn't act surprised. She accepted it, although her words still had the same effect on her as they had previously.

"I-It's still embarrassing to hear." Ruby pouted and crossed her arms, while her face couldn't move away since that would make the hand not touch her cheek, she still moved her eyes to the side defiantly showcasing her intolerance to such words.

"Would it be corny of me to say that you blossomed into a beautiful girl, Ruby Rose?" She asked in a quiet, yet clearly audible voice. The sentence made the younger girl once more turn into a human beet, as she grew red up to her ears and Blake had to try and keep her laughter under control, which she endured for a few moments before she burst out laughing. It didn't help when the annoyed redhead took her pillow and started hitting her with it, which only prolonged the laughter and turned her into a giggling mess afterwards.

"That was horrible and the most… Corny thing I have ever heard! Ugh..." Ruby frowned as she hugged the pillow, her expression growing softer after a few seconds. "But thank you."

"I'm sorry, but I did mean it." Blake smiled warmly at the other girl.

"I know you did, you wouldn't toy with your friend's feelings… With my feelings." Came a quiet response.

Blake glanced to the side for a moment, before her amber eyes went back to look at the redhead, her head nodding softly. "I would never."

"Blake? I won't lie that seeing your eyes glow like that in the dark? Is a bit intimidating." The younger girl said, trying to change the topic.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry I forget that they might be a bit frightening, especially when its pitch black like here." The cat Faunus moved her head to the side, not wanting to stare at the girl anymore, only to feel a hand against her cheek that reverted the movement. She felt her cheeks grow hot as she felt Ruby's hand being so confident in her gesture.

"It's alright Blake, I got used to it. Besides, behind the scary look, there's a pretty sight." She focused on the girl, she moved her own hand to place it against Ruby's face, feeling herself drawing closer to the girl. She knew what was about to happen and while worried over what might happen after, she at least could be calm about the present, as she noticed the younger girl lean into her just as she did towards the redhead.

Soon their lips meet and Blake couldn't help but close her eyes. Neither of them pushed to make the kiss anything else than it already was, their lips touching. Neither of them parted their lips, neither of them had the idea to deepen it. Yet Blake couldn't understand how did it come to this, them kissing. The kiss itself didn't last long, soon she was opening her eyes just in time to see that Ruby did the same.

"Ruby..." She started but felt a finger on her lips, noticing the redhead blushing once more and shaking her head. Blake understood what it meant and she simply nodded. It would be the end of their time tonight and for some reason, Blake felt disappointed, not because of what happened but because it was drawing to an end. But it would be an issue if she desired more. Not now, perhaps in the future. Perhaps.

She stood up and started to slowly move towards the door, this time making sure that her footsteps would make a sound for the other girl to know where she was or if she was still in the room. Midway through her journey towards the door, she was stopped by Ruby's voice. "Blake?"

"Yes?" She asked without turning around, she was afraid to look at Ruby. Not right now, not in this state of mind. If she did she might turn around and ask for more and even she wasn't sure what more meant at this point.

"T-Thank you for coming here and making me feel better. I didn't mean to be a problem for you tonight." Blake took a deep breath to compose herself and make sure her voice wouldn't sound too shaky.

"It's fine Ruby if you ever have a bad dream and the circumstances allow, feel free to come to me, even if I'm sleeping I'll gladly help you out." She smiled at her own words, a smile that wouldn't be seen by Ruby yet she still couldn't stop her lips from forming into that shape of happiness.

"A-And let me pet your ears?" It wasn't hard to notice how shaky the redhead's voice was, it had to be a very brave thing to ask, at least coming from her.

"Maybe, no promises though." She chuckled as she continued towards the doors, soon her hand could feel the cold handle and she pushed it down, slowly opening the door. "Good night, Ruby."

"Good night, Blake." With that, the cat Faunus closed the door behind herself, her footsteps now once more quiet and quick as she wanted to be as far away from the younger girl's room as possible. Questions started to swarm her mind. Will she take her up on that? Will those night visits become some sort of a new thing for them? Will Ruby try to act as if nothing happened? And most importantly which of those would she herself prefer.

A deep sigh escaped her lips. She asked for it, she looked for something to occupy her mind and she found it. The question was if it would be enough for her to sleep. She stopped in front of the doors to her own room. No, she couldn't sleep. She didn't want for this night to end.

This night carried something special and even if it was never to happen again, she wanted to cherish it for as long as she could. With that she nodded and headed outside, the sky was clear and she hasn't star gazed in such a long time. Who knows? Maybe she'll spot a falling star. If so, she'd have the perfect wish for it to grant.

 **Author's Note 2:**

 **Is it bad that I got inspired to write this story with a picture that was supposed to be a whiterose? Maybe. Anyway like I said before, I'm not dead just occupied. I did find a moment to write this small piece. Why ladybug? Cause I haven't written too much of them and I always liked them. I just never could bite any sort of idea with them at least not up till now. So there you have it.**


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